The above quote comes from Peter Drucker, a management consultant who wrote on running businesses for the better part of the 20th century.

It's easy to get bogged down in doing things faster, better, and more efficiently. However, it's all for nothing if the thing we're trying to accomplish isn't going to provide any real benefit in the long run. Becoming awesome at a dead-end job, perfecting your toothpick sculpture on your lunch break, or even crafting the perfect comment on a blog might not be worth doing if there's no larger goal that doing those things will help you reach.